Smartphones at MWC: What will Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC and Nokia launch?

We're still recovering from the monster that is CES but that means Mobile World Congress (MWC) is fast approaching so here's what smartphones to expect at the 2014 show held in Barcelona.

There's already a lot to say about what smartphones might arrive at MWC thanks to the rumour mill which is the Internet. We've rounded up all the news we can find regarding which smartphones will be launched by the big name companies. See also: New smartphones of 2014: best new phones launching in 2014.

We'll update this article between now and the start of the show (24 February) so you can keep with the rumours and news. Bare in mind that all the information in this article is rumoured so may or may not be correct.

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Samsung

Before you get too excited, it's very unlikely that Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S5 at MWC. The firm, like previous years, will hold a dedicated event to launch its flagship smarthphone. This year the rumour is that it will be back in London after being held in New York for the Galaxy S4.

Luckily that doesn't mean Samsung will turn up in Barcelona empty handed. It normally shows off a range of devices and two have already been tipped for MWC 2014.

First up is a return to the Windows Phone 8 market with a device currently only known as the SM-W750V. It will probably get the Ativ branding and it's thought to feature a 5in Full HD AMOLED display and 4G LTE support.

Samsung is also tipped to unveil the Galaxy Note Neo as the new entry to its phablet range. It will supposedly have a 5.5in 720p and be the first smartphone to use a hexa-core processor.

Nokia

Nokia is reportedly going to reveal at least two new Lumia smartphones at MWC 2014.

The new flagship model being the Lumia 1820, following on from the 1020 and 1520. If the specs turn out to be true then we'll be in for a treat. It's thought to pack a 5.2in screen with a 2k resolution and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor. Add to that 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

Furthermore, it's purportedly going to come with a Lytro-style camera with re-focusing abilities and a Xenon flash.

It's also possible that Nokia will unveil the Lumia 1525 with a 6in screen, 25- or even 30Mp camera and an intriguing solar charging system built into the display.

If those two weren't interesting enough, there's been plenty of suggestion and bits of evidence (above) suggesting that Nokia will launch an Android smartphone (codenamed Normandy). Yes, you read that right, and MWC could well be the launch platform for the device.

CES brought us the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and since then, the firm has announced the Xperia E1 and Xperia T2 Ultra. That doesn't mean that Sony will only show off announced phones at MWC, though.

It is thought that Sony will use MWC to announce its new flagship smartphone, likely to be the Xperia Z2 (codenamed 'Sirius'). Rumoured specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, Android 4.4 KitKat, a Quad HD (2k) 5.2in screen, 20.1Mp camera and a 3,700mAh battery.

Like Nokia, it's looking like Sony will also be launching a Windows Phone 8 handset this year. It's unclear whether this will be ready for an MWC, but we're looking forward to finding out.

HTC

HTC doesn't launch half as many handsets as it used to and the fact that we've not had anything new from the firm so far this year means that it's looking good for a new smartphone at MWC.

It's plans haven't been leaked like other vendors but bets are stacking up for an HTC One 2 (codename M8) announcement. The follow up to the popular HTC One is tipped to have a 5in Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Android 4.4 KitKat and Sense 6.0.

LG

LG pulled a blinder last year with the impressive flagship G2 and will reportedly launch a smaller version of that smartphone at MWC — keeping in trend with mini phones, which the likes of Samsung and HTC have launched.

The LG G2 Mini will come with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM as the original G2 but with a 4.7in screen compared to 5.2in. The Korean firm is also tipped to launch a raft of Android 4.4. KitKat smartphones, but only product codes are available at the moment: D830, LS740, D410, D320 and MS323.

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